1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of simulators, and more particularly to a sourcing simulator to support design of a fulfillment network.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A number of industries use an order management system (OMS), which is a computer software system for entry of orders and fulfillment of those orders. The orders can be received from businesses, consumers, or a mix of both depending on the products. OMS has a centralized view of inventory, which may include on hand goods and goods that will be received at a future date. The OMS allows users to create fulfillment rules, which specify how an order is to be fulfilled. However, with the increasing competition from online retailers, and for enabling an omni-channel customer experience, retailers have begun using options such as ship from store, same day delivery, or buy online and pickup in store. This adds a lot of variables in terms of setting up of the fulfillment rules. To create an omni-channel experience, retailers strive to meet different competing business objectives such as minimizing shipping costs, avoiding markdowns, maximizing customer satisfaction, and reducing workloads in certain facilities. However, it can be difficult to generate rules to meet these competing business objectives and that support the sheer enormity of data in these settings.